Echoes
by Ziver69
Summary: The echoes of the past ring loud and true during a simple activity. Bo spends time with Matthew, tuning up the old motorcycle. When Nora shows up, more than the bike gets fixed.


There's no specific timeline here, just somewhere between them finding out Matthew is their son and the fire at Nora's. Hope you enjoy. Reviews are loved. This is a short work of fluff; born of talks about the chrome beast and to help get the Bo and Nora blood flowing.

 **~~ECHOES~~**

"...so the carborator is what-" At the sound of the familiar laughter eminating from the garage doorway, Bo looked up to see his ex wife watching them.

"What are you two doing?!" She laughed again, looking between Bo and Matthew.

"What does it look like we're doing, lady lawyer?" Bo teased. He was in an excellent mood.

It was a gorgeous fall day. The sun was just warm enough to keep it from being outright cold, but there was that crisp, telltale nip in the air that he loved. The leaves were in their peak of transformation and with the right wind would send them fluttering to the ground in that age old autumnal dance. It was made even better by the fact that he was spending it with his son, working on his bike; which he hadn't done in forever.

He'd been over the moon when Matthew had begged him to teach him about his motorcycle. They'd been watching TV last weekend when a commercial advertising motorcycles had come on and Matthew had started talking about how cool he thought motorcycles were and how he wished he knew someone who had one. The look of adoration in his son's eyes when he learned that his dad had one was more than enough to make Bo glad he'd continued to pay the storage fees to house the bike all those years. He'd promised Matthew that night that he would take the motorcycle over to Asa's giant garage some day that week and he'd teach him about it.

Three hours later, at home on his couch and shortly after Matthew's bedtime, he'd been on the phone with Nora, reassuring her that he would wait until Matthew was a little older before actually taking him for a ride on 'the beast'.

Today had dawned bright and beautiful and Bo had spent the majority of the day, cooped up in his office, wishing he was outside. When Matthew had called him shortly before 3pm to 'chat', reminding Bo that he wasn't in school today for school in service and was spending the day at Asa's, it had taken Bo about thirty seconds to decide that the paperwork could wait until Monday. The beast was already at Asa's so all he'd had to do was swing by the garrett, change and lug the black storage box he used to house the tools for the bike and his riding gear out to his vehicle before he went to join Matthew at Asa's.

He hadn't had this much fun in month's. Nora looked to be in an equally good mood, and looking at his watch and her casual jeans and cotton tee, he surmised that she'd called it an early day as well.

"It looks like you've been rolling our son in grease." She scolded; or it would have been a scolding if it weren't for the grin on her lips and the twinkle in her eyes.

Bo shrugged, smiling as well; enjoying their banter. "Grease makes a boy grow."

"Oh, well then, that'll be enough of that." She replied in a playfully firm tone, picking up a relatively clean rag and rubbing at a grease spot on Matthew's forehead. "My baby is growing up too fast as it is." She cooed.

"Mom." Matthew whined, squirming. "This is manly stuff." He told her seriously.

She stopped, giving him a tender smile. "Manly stuff with your daddy, huh?" Matthew shook his head. "Well then...I'll stop fussing and respect the manly stuff." Over his shoulder, she watched Bo smirk. "May I watch you bo.. _men_ work if I do so quietly from over there?"

Matthew looked at Bo. Bo looked at Matthew. Both then shook their heads in agreement, so Nora found a seat and watched Bo teach and tinker with Matthew. Her heart felt full...for the most part.

Every now and then, Bo would look up, meet Nora's eyes and smile. She looked so carefree and happy...for the most part. She had that soft look in her eyes and it radiated throughout her face and lay in her body language. It was her content look. Her whole body would become soft, and he could swear, warmer when she was in these moods; he remembered...soft, fluid in her movements, fitting against every space from the crook of his neck to-" He shook himself out of his memories and, with effort, went back to focusing on Matthew reciting parts.

"So you finally decided to like the motorcycle, mom?" Matthew asked, after they'd starting talking about when Bo first bought the motorcycle.

Nora laughed. "Yes, honey, I did."

"Was it fun riding with mom?" He directed at his father.

 _A flash of Nora, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, plastered against his back...the way the wind caught her hair when she pulled her helmet off after their ride...the elated smile and that wild and hungry look in her eyes..._ Their eyes met just as the memory of how they'd ended that night paraded through his mind and he found it hard to breath when he read that same look in her eyes now, telling him she was remembering it too.

"Yeah." Bo croaked, clearing his throat and beginning again, not able to break eye contact with Nora, regardless of how it was wreaking havoc with his mind, heart and body. "Yeah, bud...it was..." _Sheesh, when had his mouth turned into the Sahara desert?!_ he thought.

"Amazing." Nora quietly finished for him, a beautiful flush painting her cheeks and neck as she finally was able to break their gaze and looked down to the floor.

"Really amazing." Bo echoed, his voice low and heavy with the memory.

"Cool. Matthew chirped, totally oblivious in his youth as to what had transpired between his parents just now. Both forgot how to breath when Matthew innocently added, "You guys should do it again."

Bo's pulse jumped in his troat and Nora's eyes flew to his as Bo sputtered, trying to come up with a quick response. "It's, ah...been a long time, budd..." Bo tried.

"That's okay, dad. I bet mom's still good at it."

Nora spun away from them, her blood hammering in her ears. If it had been a little louder, she might have missed Bo's softly spoken, "I have no doubt."

"You're not scared you forgot how, are ya, dad?"

"What?!" Bo barked. Matthew looked up, bewildered at his father's reaction, and Bo tempered his tone. _The kid was killing him and he didn't have a clue._ It didn't help that he could see Nora's shoulders shaking now with silent laughter. He tried to keep his tone even and cool as he answered Matthew, at the same time doing his best to explicitly defend himself and his confidence in his 'skill' to his ex wife. "I remember _exactly how_ , son."

"Okay. I just thought if it's been a really long time and you needed someone to help, I bet mom would help you."

Nora spun again, refusing to look at Bo and ushered Matthew out of the garage and into the fresh air. _Gosh, how she needed the fresh air._ She was so desperate to change the subject that she actually proposed that Bo take Matthew on a ride around the large, paved area right outside the garage.

Her ears were hot. Birds, large birds were loose in her stomach. Her heart was pounding. Bo watched her trying to regain some control and he realized...every nerve in his body was thrumming with excitement. He didn't want her to get her balance back. This had been building between them for months now and he was tired of fighting it.

The anger had burned itself out and within the ashes stood the charred, but solid foundation of love. He still loved her and if this wasn't the perfect opportunity to try a second chance for them, he didn't know what was. "Not until I get him a helmet." Bo answered, pushing the bike out of the garage. He walked by them as Matthew pled his case, citing that they could go slow and that they wouldn't wreck.

Nora was surprised, thinking Bo would jump at the chance. His tone was a little odd to...calm. Very calm.

Bo reached into the back seat, flipped open the lid to the storage box and extracted what he wanted. Backing out of the car and turning around to face his family. Blue eyes locked with brown as he held out her old leather jacket and helmet. In a voice thick with emotion and hope, Bo asked, "How about it, Red? Wanna try again with me?"

He knew she understood what he was asking by the look in her eyes. Tears welled in her eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Wouldn't ask if I wasn't, honey." He replied, sincerely, taking a couple tentative steps toward her.

A few tears escaped, sliding down her cheeks. "You might have to go slow with me for awhile." She told him shyly, her vulnerability at being hurt by him again almost equal to her desire to have his love back.

"We'll go at whatever speed you want for as long as you want." He'd reached her now. Bo shifted her jacket into his other hand. With his now free hand he reached out and took hers. She looked up into his eyes, seeing everything she'd longed to see for years now shining brightly in his beautiful blue orbs. "Just hold on tight to me, honey, and don't let go." He lifted her hand and placed a tender kiss to her palm. "I promise I won't let you fall...never again." he swore, whispering the last words.

She bit her lower lip, trying to keep the rest of the tears at bay. "I want a long ride, Buchanan." She sniffled, her tone more bold as her courage and certainty in them grew by leaps and bounds, bolstered by the unadulterated love in his eyes. If I get back on this...if we..." She struggled to find the appropriate verbage to keep with this 'code' they'd been using, but Bo was apparently done with it and just laid it all out there.

"I love you, Nora and I'm in this for the long haul. I lost you once and I won't do it again."

She held his gaze. After a minute, she looked at the sky, the sun starting to dip lower and sending the golden hues of the day's end out over the land. She smiled at him, reached out and took hold of her jacket. She shrugged into it before taking her helmet as well. "You better get a move on, Buchanan." She pointed over his shoulder. He turned to see what she was pointing at as she finished. " I want to be riding into that...with you."

He wore a huge smile when he turned back around. "One thing first." He leaned in, wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her to him and laid his mouth over hers, kissing her with all that he was worth.

Matthew smiled, watching his wish finally coming true before his very eyes.

The kiss ended and Bo winked over at Matthew. "Head up to the house, son, and tell Grandpa that mom and I will be back in a little while." He grinned at his son, knowing what the question in his eyes were asking. "You can tell Grandpa I needed to take my girl on a ride into the sunset."

Matthew fist pumped the air and watched his parents settle on the motorcycle. His dad fired it up and the metal beast rumbled and roared. He watched his mom hold on to his dad. His dad threw his hand up in a wave before he gave it some throttle and slowly pulled away from the garage. Matthew ran for the house to tell Asa as th echoes of the bike faded into the setting sun. He was _so_ right. Motorcycles were the coolest!

 **~~THE END~~**


End file.
